08-06-2021, 10:36 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-06-2021, 10:54 PM by KillerLeft.)
I think a lot of fans have this vision that training camp starts and the coach "sees what he's got to work with" and then forms a plan.
Here's the way to think about it that I believe is more accurate:
There are many roles on a pro basketball team, and I'm not talking about roster spots. Each team's strategy informs their definition of those roles, and how they prioritize them. They form a financial plan accordingly, and when they go into free agency, extend their players, make trades, whatever, they pay people based on those "jobs."
9/10 times when fans think a player is overpaid, it's because they don't view that player's potential role the same way their team does (right or wrong). Example: I'd love Markannen here because you can never have too many bigs who can shoot, but I view him as a 3rd or 4th big in the rotation on a good team, so I see some of the contract suggestions around here for him as nut bar factor 7. Now, I'm not arriving at that opinion because I don't think he can play, it's just that I wouldn't pay anyone that kind of money to work the job I think he'd have here. I can only assume those in favor think those contract ideas are fair because they believe he'd be a starter. They might be right!
That is why Dwight Powell got paid what he did - because they viewed him as a starter here at the time and they wanted him to feel like he was getting a promotion. They offered him a new job. And, it worked! That decision moved the team forward until the injury. If he was still starting as Luka's #1 option in the amazing pick and roll based offense they had that season, I believe there would be less complaining about the money around here (thought there will always be some about every player).
Here's the way to think about it that I believe is more accurate:
There are many roles on a pro basketball team, and I'm not talking about roster spots. Each team's strategy informs their definition of those roles, and how they prioritize them. They form a financial plan accordingly, and when they go into free agency, extend their players, make trades, whatever, they pay people based on those "jobs."
9/10 times when fans think a player is overpaid, it's because they don't view that player's potential role the same way their team does (right or wrong). Example: I'd love Markannen here because you can never have too many bigs who can shoot, but I view him as a 3rd or 4th big in the rotation on a good team, so I see some of the contract suggestions around here for him as nut bar factor 7. Now, I'm not arriving at that opinion because I don't think he can play, it's just that I wouldn't pay anyone that kind of money to work the job I think he'd have here. I can only assume those in favor think those contract ideas are fair because they believe he'd be a starter. They might be right!
That is why Dwight Powell got paid what he did - because they viewed him as a starter here at the time and they wanted him to feel like he was getting a promotion. They offered him a new job. And, it worked! That decision moved the team forward until the injury. If he was still starting as Luka's #1 option in the amazing pick and roll based offense they had that season, I believe there would be less complaining about the money around here (thought there will always be some about every player).